Okay, so my neighbor bugged me all summer about setting up a sand volleyball court – his wife wanted it for birthday parties. First thing? Figuring out the boundary pad timber. Pine’s cheap but kinda soft, right? Everyone online screams, “Use pressure-treated!” Yeah, but that budget? Not happening. Decided to test actual pine options myself.
My Backyard Pine Timber Hunt
Dragged my kid to three lumber yards last Saturday. Grabbed samples of three types everyone recommends for volleyball pads:
- Cheap Construction-Grade SPF: You know, the $2.50 per 8-ft stuff? Full of knots. Felt like cardboard.
- “#2” Treated Yellow Pine: Around $4.30 per ft. Smelled like chemicals but looked tougher.
- Knotty Cedar Pine: More like $9 per foot. Felt smoother but light – worried about stability.
Stress-Testing Like a Madman
Got home, cut each into 4-ft pad mockups. Hit ’em with everything:
- Dropped my dumbbell bar from shoulder height (twice!).
- Soaked one end in a kiddie pool for 48 hours.
- Left another chunk buried under wet sand for a week.
- Even had the dog jump on ’em like an idiot.
Checked every two days with a moisture meter I borrowed from Gary. Big surprise? That cheap SPF warped like a banana after getting wet! Cedar twisted less but felt too flimsy near the anchor points.
What Actually Worked (For Me)
Turns out the mid-grade yellow pine held up best after four weeks of torture. Why?
- Moisture? Swelled 30% less than the SPF.
- Impact dents? Half as deep as the cedar.
- Cheapskate win? Saved $200 versus using all cedar.
Yeah, it’ll rot faster than fancy timber. My plan? Bulk buy the yellow pine now, seal the crap out of it with copper-green stain, replace single boards when they crack. Gary says I’m nuts, but hey, it’s volleyball – not Buckingham Palace.
Final take? If your budget’s tight but your wife isn’t? Go mid-tier pine. Seal it. Stop overthinking. Just rebuild the broken bits later with beer money.
